Praise for You Like it Darker

“King does it again in this collection of stories... there’s no doubt that King is still a master.” —AARP

"King is writing some of the best work of his long career. Could this collection of short stories continue his remarkable winning streak?" —Seattle Times

“Readers will be thrilled by these tales. Some of the stories are darker and more poisonous than others, but they all have that King touch.” —Library Journal, STARRED review

“A dozen tales from the master...King gives the reader a host of things to fear...Along the way, he also offers insights about, among other things, the fickleness of talent, the power and pathos of unrealized dreams, the pain and pleasure of relationships, and the meaning and meaninglessness of life and, of course, death... King’s conversational prose, relatable characters, and knack for knowing precisely what you are afraid of will draw you in—page by page, horror by horror—and hold you fast.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

“Absolutely spellbinding stories about love, loss, tragedy, resilience, and—this is Stephen King, after all—unearthly creatures and the strange, unpredictable overlap between this world and another. A character from a classic early King novel makes a welcome return, too, in a beautifully imagined tale that will move readers to tears. This book features some of the author’s most engaging writing...King’s first book, Carrie, was published 50 years ago. He’s had a remarkable career, and You Like It Darker proves that he is still at the height of his powers. A triumph. With so many new and exceptional stories, this collection will have King's legions of fans clamoring.” —Booklist, STARRED review

Praise for Stephen King's Short Fiction

"As classic as King's novels are, his shorter fiction has been just as gripping over the years." —USA Today

"For a writer whose books need a big stage, Stephen King also can turn out shorter stories just as gripping as his epic novels." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Holly demonstrates that one of the last true rock stars of fiction can continue to grow as a writer, and doesn’t define success solely as a continuation of what’s worked for him before.” —The Washington Post

“Stephen King does something amazing in his new novel, HOLLY... King’s storytelling skills are not dimming one bit.” —Tampa Bay Times

“Hugely successful... Holly surely deserves further episodes in the spotlight.” — Portland Press Herald

“Holly has a thrilling finish, in which our heroine looks horror in the face. The outcome is most satisfying.” —St Louis Post-Dispatch

“What makes King’s work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn’t his cruelty to his characters: It’s his kindness.” —Flynn Berry, New York Times Book Review

“Both intimate and sprawling in its ambitions... Holly is the imperfect but determined angel among all those demons...” —Brian Truitt, USA Today

“Holly is the heart of the narrative. Her growth from a shy, muttering mess in Mr. Mercedes to the smart, strong, smoking, slightly better, and much richer woman we see in Holly is tremendous. Please, Mr. King, give us more Holly soon.” —Gabino Iglesias, NPR.org

“In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains. Who can forget the sing-song voice of Pennywise the clown, the devil incarnate Randall Flagg, or the drooling jaws of Cujo? The big bads in King’s latest novel, Holly, aren’t quite so memorable, but that’s part of what makes them terrifying.” —Rob Merrill, Associated Press

“A deadly folie a deux... Holly pursues this case to the gates of hell, figuratively—there’s no supernatural element in this powerful exploration of grief and delusion, just pure, undistilled evil.” —New York Magazine

★ 04/01/2024

In King's (The Bazaar of Bad Dreams) new collection of short stories, a rogue scientist tries to peer past the boundaries of the world by hypnotizing "The Dreamers"; "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" becomes a nightmare when a police officer mistakes Danny for the murderer of a young woman; and the son of a famous author discovers how his father's writing talent blossomed in midlife in "Two Talented Bastids." There's also a young lawyer in the 1930s who is trying to determine whether he should work at his family's white-shoe law firm or open his own small practice; he's lucky enough to fall into a fold of space and time to find "The Answer Man." In fact, the lawyer will come to find the Answer Man three times in his life; will he like the answers he hears? Meanwhile, in "Rattlesnake," the Constant Readers bump into a character from Cujo long after the events of that book, who is trying to outrun his own ghosts and the ghosts of others. VERDICT King explains in an afterword to the collection that short stories are hard for him to write, but readers will be thrilled by these tales. Some of the stories are darker and more poisonous than others, but they all have that King touch.—Jennie Mills